Car-coupling



(No Model.)v

T. E. W. PAY.

GAB. GOUPLING. No..491,839. Patented Feb. 14, 1893.

mi Hemus mins ed.. vuumLlT-la. wAsnmGToa. u. c.

NrTED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

THORNTON EUGENE WEBSTER FAY, OE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.l

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 491,839, dated February14, 1893.

Application filed October 14, 1892. Serial No.448,898. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, THORNTON EUGENE -VI/'EBS'IIEiEt FAY, ofPhiladelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and Improved Car-Goupling and Bumper, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in car couplings and bumpers, andthe object of my invention is to produce a strong, simple and easilyoperated car coupling, which is adapted to automatically engage thedraw-bar of an opposing coupling, which is constructed in such a waythat it permits the necessary movements of connected cars, which is notlikely to get out of order, and which is protected against snow and icealso to combine with said coupling, a bumper plate which is adapted toreceive the thrust of the car,which is backed by springs in such a waythat when two cars come together the shock is absorbed by the springswithout shaking up the passengers in the car, or disturbing the freightif it is a freight car, and to construct and arrange the bumper platevso that it will in nowise interfere with the action of the couplino.

Tao these ends, my invention consists in certain features ofconstruction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar Iigures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the car coupling, on the line1-1in Fig. 2, as applied to a car; Eig. 2 is a sectional plan on theline 2--2 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a detail sectional plan of apreferred form of mechanism for releasing the coupling jaws.

The drawhead of the coupling consists of the rectangular box 10, whichhas parallel top and bottom pieces 11 and 12, and suitable end pieces 13and 14, which fit in grooves l2a in the top and bottom plates. Theplates are held together by bolts 15, which extend downward through thetop and bottom plates and also through the platform or cross-head beamsof the'car, and the box or drawhead is thus held'securely in position.The box has side pieces 16 which are also held in grooves in the top andbottom plates and in the end plates 13 and 14, as shown in Fig. 2, andinside of the box are longitudinal vertical partitions 5 5 17, which arearranged near opposite sides and parallel with the side pieces 16. Theside pieces 16 and partitions 17 hold horizontal partitions 18 which arearranged near the center, and consequently four compartments 6o areformed in the sides of the box two on each side, and in each of thesecompartments is a strong spiral spring 19, which presses against theback end of the box and also against the head 2O of one of the bolts 21,65 which slide in the front end piece 14 of the drawhead or box, and arereduced at their outer ends and screwed firmly into the bumper plate 22,and by reducing the ends of the bolts their shoulders take the thrust ofthe 7o plate so as to relieve the threads from strain.

The bumper plate 22 is arranged parallel with the end oftheboxordrawhead, and produced centrally in it is a hole 23, which isarranged opposite the mouth 24 of the box or 75 drawhead, and this mouthextends into the central portion of the box, which portionconsists of alarge compartment produced between the partitions 17. The hole 23 in thebumper plate is adapted to'receive the draw- 8o bar 25, which alsoextends into the box or drawhead 10, and this drawbar has at its endsinclined heads 26, terminating at their inner ends in shoulders 27,which are adapted to engage the oppositely-arranged locking jaws 28,which swing centrally in the middle compartment of the drawhead or box,and which are formed on horizontally-swinging and outwardly-extendingplates 29, these moving in slots 30 and 3l in the partitions 17 and 9o16, and the outer ends of the plates 29 are enlarged toform heads 32,which counterbalance the jaws 28.

The heads 32 are normally pressed rearward so as to throw the jaws 28into position to in- 95 terlock with the heads of the drawbar by springs33, which are arranged around the guide pins 34 on the front portions ofthe heads 32, and the opposite ends of the springs are secured to thesides of the box or drawroo head 10, near the front end thereof. Thejaws 28 are swung so as to release the drawbar by means of a level' orlevers 3G, secured to one or both of the jaws by means of a bolt 35,which extends downward through the jaws and through the car platform orthe crosshead beam of a freight car, or preferably by means of chains 37attached to the rear ends of the jaw plates 29 by bolts and extendingalong outwardly toward the ends of the crosshead beam and passing overand around guide pulleys 3S secured upon the under side of the platformor cross-head beam, the chains returning and extending along the beam toone side of and at or near the head end of the coupling box or drawhead,and being secured to the lower end ot' the shaft 39 of an ordinary wheelhand-brake, extending upright upon the platform or cross-head beam, theshaft extending downward through to wind the chains upon, which, whenoperated, will move forward, simultaneously, the ends 32 of the jawplates, which will release the drawbar. The ends of the chains attachedto the jaw plates 29 have each an open end link, made something like atwo-tined fork, upon the outward ends of which are formed eyes for thebolts to extend through them and the jaw plates, either upward ordownward, the links (fork shaped) straddling the jaw plates, theycorresponding with the thickness of the jaw plates.

The operation of the coupling and bumper is as follows: Then two carscome together, the drawbar 25, carried by one of the couplings entersthe mouth of the opposing coupling, and when the head 26 enters betweenthe jaws 28, it swings the jaws backward and the plates 29 and heads 32forward, so as to permit the head 2G to pass, and as soon as the headpasses the springs 33 push the jaws back to place, and they engage theshoulders 27 of the head so as to prevent the withdrawal of the drawbar.lVhen a drawing strain is produced on the drawbar, the j aws 28 arethrown forward and the plates 29 come in contact with the rear walls ofthe slots 30 and 3l,thus eifectually preventing the removal of thedrawbar. To uncouple the cars the lever 3G is thrown forward when thehead 2G of the drawbar is in the rear end of the coupling, and the jaws2S are thus turned outward so as to permit the withdrawal of the bar.After the drawbar has entered the coupling, the bumper plates 22 of theopposing couplings strike one another and the springs 19 are compressedgradually, until by the time the bumper plates are pushed back againstthe ends of the couplings, the cars will have stopped, and this withoutexcessive vibration.

By reference to the drawings it will be seen that sufficient space isleft in the hole 23 and mouth 24 of the coupling to permit any necessarymovement of the drawbar so that coupled cars may pass easily around acurve or up a grade. It will be noticed that the operating mechanism ofthe coupling is entirely concealed, so that there is no danger of thefilling' up of the drawhead with snow or ice.

It will be understood that a greater or less number of compartments maybe made to receive the springs 19 and the bolts 2l, without departingfrom the principle of the invention. It will also be observed that inoperation, the bumper plate 22 does not in any way interfere with theworking of the coupling, but it rather assists, as it serves as a guideand support for the draw-bar.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent-,-

l. A combined car coupling and bumper, comprising abox-like drawheadhaving a central coupling compartment with an open mouth, oppositelyarranged jaws held to swing in the middle compartment of the coupling,the jaws having outwardly-extending spring-pressed plates which moveinslots in the sides of the drawhead, a draw-bar having an inclined headwith shoulders which engage the locking jaws, compartments arranged inopposite sides of the drawhead, and a perforated bumper plate havingrearwardly-extending spring-pressed bolts which slide in the saidcompartments of the draw` head, substantially as described.

2. A car coupling, comprising a box-like drawhead havinga central recesstherein and compartments in its opposite sides, opposite-V ly-arrangedhorizontally-swinging jaws arranged centrally in the coupling andadapted to engage a drawbar, spring-pressed plates secured to the jawsand extending outward through slots in the sides of the drawhead, theplates having enlarged heads atV their outer ends, and a drawbar havingan inclined head with shoulders at its inner ends to engage the lockingjaws, substantially as described.

THORNTON EUGENE WEBSTER FAY.

vWitnesses:

J. Fannie BAECHLEn, RUDOLPH J. SosNA.

IOO

